Conventional Thinking
by BiteMeTechie
Summary: Something big is going down in the Nevada desert and McKay is going to miss it...


"I can't believe I'm going to miss it!" Rodney flopped down in his chair in the lab, crossed his arms over his chest and sulked. His face twisted into the most overly exaggerated frown that Colonel Sheppard had ever seen.

"What's the big deal, Rodney?"

"What's the big deal? What's the big DEAL?" McKay stood and started pacing, "Something like this only happens once in a lifetime, and I'm going to miss it!"

Sheppard watched the neurotic man before him pace and rant, gesturing widely with his hands. He'd been edgy like this all day, and the Colonel still had no idea what the hell he was on about.

"You _obviously_ don't get it, Colonel. This is a gathering of like-minded individuals, a group of the best damn people on Earth gathering together for one **huge** bash to leave all other bashes in the dust! Where we can meet and greet and exchange concepts, ideas and philosophies! This is..this is _huge_! Everyone who's anyone is going to be there!"

Rodney threw his hands in the air, "Of all the times to be stuck in the Pegasus Galaxy! My peers are gathering together like moths around a flame and I'm going to **miss** it!" He made a frustrated noise and stormed out of the lab.

He nearly knocked Zelenka over as he passed him in his fervor to leave the lab and go somewhere where he could sulk without Sheppard bombarding him with questions.

"What's the matter with him?" Zelenka asked, pushing his glasses up a bit further on his nose as he entered the lab fully.

Sheppard sighed and leaned against a lab table, "There's this shindig goin' down...a bunch of scientists or something, I guess. At some convention in Las Vegas...he's mad he's going to miss it." Sheppard said, "Apparently he's upset that he's not going to get to 'exchange concepts, ideas and philosophies' with his illustrious peers."

Zelenka looked muddled momentarily, "I know of no such meeting in Las Vegas." He tilted his head at Colonel Sheppard, "Did he happen to mention what _day_ this was to take place?"

Sheppard thought for a few seconds, sifting through all the ranting and raving that Rodney had been doing all day, trying to remember if a specific date had been mentioned.

"Yeah," he replied, after thinking on it, "September...uh...eigth."

Zelenka's face fell into an expression of slight amusement and annoyance, "Well..then his current upset makes perfect sense." He smirked, "There's a very important anniversary coming up on that particular day...and with it, a very special convention."

"What, a celebration of the invention of the wheel?"

Zelenka shook his head, his smirk quickly turning into a smile, "Bigger."

Sheppard's eyebrows rose in surprise, "Bigger?"

"Indeed...I don't blame him for being upset. It's not every day that something like this happens, you know."

"You wanna stop dancing around the subject and tell me what's goin' on here, doc?" Sheppard said, his tone coming out slightly more annoyed than he would have liked it to, "I mean, it'd be nice to know what's got a member of my team so tightly wound."

Zelenka looked at Sheppard over the rim of his coffee cup, amused, "The Star Trek fortieth anniversary, Colonel. It's a very big deal. To Rodney, at least."

Sheppard looked at the Czech engineer in disbelief, "You mean to tell me he's been freaking out all day over some TV show turning forty?"

"Well, it _is_ **Star Trek**, after all."

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A/N:Omg..ok, I posted this before and wasn't happy with the ending, (the final line, in my opinion, sucked) and then b7-kerravon, wonderful person that she/he is (sorry love, your profile doesn't specify!) gave me the final line that tied up the fic beautifully. Thank you _so_ much for that.

The ST anniversary is rapidly approaching and I had to say something about it.

Am I the only one that's freaking out over the fact that Trek is gonna be forty and that I'm not going to be able to go to the con in Vegas?

I am? Huh. Bigger geek than I thought.

You know what would be really funny to read? Either a Star Trek marathon on Atlantis (Rodney trying to convert everyone to Trek) or McKay at a con.

-chuckles as she pictures it-

Ooh! Hey! Consider that a new challenge! The Trekkie Rodney challenge...muahaha.


End file.
